


What Angel Wakens Me

by tea_notes



Category: Final Fantasy VII (Video Game 1997)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Also Turks Be Like That, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Witchcraft, Enemies to Friends, F/M, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Mutual Pining, One-Sided Attraction, Pining, Slow Burn, Vincent Valentine Is Sephiroth's Parent, WEAPONs Be Like That, Witches, also because of experimentation or scarred bodies that will come up sometimes, graphic violence warning stems from my joy of writing detailed fight scenes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-26
Updated: 2020-07-26
Packaged: 2021-03-06 04:15:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,736
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25527304
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tea_notes/pseuds/tea_notes
Summary: In this world of Final Fantasy VII exists witches whom congregated with the Cetra in ancient times. Unlike the nearly extinct Cetra, the witches still exist hidden in the world; one whom was found in a box within the Shinra manor at Nibelheim. Came with him was a wealth of knowledge and deep family ties to the Shinra oligarchy. The mysterious man has plenty of unfinished business too. Vincent Valentine had been betrayed more than once and his child stolen to greed and time. Yet, he still has the heart to help.He always had it in his heart, and so tells his very long history and current story...
Relationships: Aerith Gainsborough & Vincent Valentine, Aerith Gainsborough/Cloud Strife, Barret Wallace/OC, Cloud Strife & Barret Wallace, Cloud Strife/Vincent Valentine, Elena/Reno (Compilation of FFVII), Sephiroth & Rufus Shinra, Tifa Lockhart & Barret Wallace, Tifa Lockhart & Cloud Strife, Tifa Lockhart/Rude
Comments: 2
Kudos: 14





	What Angel Wakens Me

Nibelheim was a strange town full of lies that had a stranger mansion as its crown. Upon Avalanche’s first steps into the Shinra claimed town, Cloud and his companions found unpleasant surprise after another. It was entirely rebuilt except for the mansion in the distance and populated with unfamiliar faces taking borrowed names. In explosive impulse, Cloud wanted answers and sought to explore the mansion with Aerith and Barret in tow. Tifa nearly went along, but she decided to take Cloud’s concerned suggestion and rest at the inn with Yuffie and Red.

It was very fortunate that she did because before the party knew it, they found a mysterious note left behind by none other than Doctor Hojo himself. It had instructions that sent them all over the manor to find clues he had left behind in the rotting building. Their efforts had taken them to a safe that opened with a key and a peculiar materia Aerith said was named Odin when she held it in her hand. It was not solid red like the other materia they’ve found kept by Shinra. Odin was more white and dyed in pink, it was also slightly spear shaped… The appearance of the materia gave Cloud nostalgia that told him maybe Tifa would know something he did not recall and kept it in his breast pocket.

Furthermore, the note did not tell them what to do with the key, so the game had continued on for longer than anyone cared to humor. Sunk cost pressed them on, but not without complaints, and Barret was the first to fire one off.

“Man, what’s the point of keepin’ this place up if you’re not gonna  _ upkeep _ it, huh?” The team leader was definitely not impressed with the Shinra manor of old. It had a disgusting smell of mold on every corner; mold and burnt wood. Although Cloud and Tifa said that the damage occurred five years ago, it lingered like it was frozen in time to smell that way forever. Aerith didn’t really seem to mind the oddities of Nibelheim, new or old.

“Since when has Shinra ever made sense, Barret?” Aerith answered to his complaint. She giggled when Barret muttered ‘you right’. She then curiously walked ahead of he and Cloud. Aerith had never seen anything like this before, the plucky woman hadn’t even heard of the manor existing until Cloud spoke of it briefly in his history lesson at Kalm. She told a white lie to Barret, it did make sense to her as to why Shinra would not rebuild it; there was so much history here preserved from the flames. It wasn’t just the library they were heading toward, but in the plants, the floorboards, and the creepy piece of chicken scratch they had picked up off the floor and followed the instructions of.

Aerith had the rusted key in hand, and for an old and metal object, it had such a…aura to it. A chill she had always felt whenever Hojo was in the room. Somehow, it manifested within this key, and then within this whole mansion since the safe had opened.

“Maybe it’s a trap to make us inhale all the poison this shack’s got to offer…” Cloud muttered as he crossed his arms. He now hated it here and wanted out. He regretted his own idea that they would ever find truth in this mansion, but Barret and Aerith wanted to scour the manor before moving through toward the mountains.

“Hehe, that’s ridiculous. I don’t think that mad man plans so far ahead, let alone in subtle ways. Here’s another door!” Aerith hurriedly ran for the dusty door covered in spiderwebs. She brushed them aside before forcing the key into the slot. It took some persistent rutting around for the caked-on dirt to remove from the shape of the key before the key turned and unlocked the door. “Woohoo!!” She cheered before hurrying in.

“Aerith…!” Cloud hurried after her and Barret walked behind them with a hearty laughter that echoed in the halls.

“So glad to have ‘er! You give up so damn easy, Cloud.”

“What—Look!” Cloud’s crossed arms opened in display to the caskets scattered throughout the room. “There’s nothing but coffins in here…!” Cloud huffed then crossed his arms once more, but only for a moment. Aerith always pushed his nerves on end with how she rushed into things. She was always an odd one, especially when it came to life…and death. She went to a purple coffin that stood out from the rest; it even had a weird symbol atop it. It looked like an infinity symbol was nailed onto the top of it, but not in a way that would keep it shut. “Aerith, who knows if another monster will come outta there?”

“We got plenty o’ fire left, Cloud! Need help, Aerith?” Barret strolled in, but he did stay close enough to the door frame to keep a lookout for the younger two.

“Nah! Cloud’s—Hehe, see?” As she spoke, Cloud scoffed before sliding the lid off with ease. Then he gasped, and so did she.

Barret then asked, “What?” His back faced them from keeping watch of intruding monsters. Although Cloud was in shock, the swordsman couldn’t help but to stare into the box: there was a beautiful man within it. The pale man didn’t look like he was in there long at the initial glance. His black hair was very long and messy, and it looked like it could reach down past his legs. His clothes were mostly all black except for a red cloak that looked like it kept him warm, and further down, tattered. The black jumpsuit covered in buckles looked fine, and this resting man’s right hand laid over his chest, but the left that was a golden claw, rested on a velvet cushion one would typically see inside a death box like this. He was so still… Cloud shook his head and put the lid back on top.

“Hey! Cloud, that’s not a body, it’s a guy!”

“ _ What _ .”

“Say what now?!” Barret turned around for that one. Peering into the room, he could see the paled horror on Cloud’s face, and the confused irritation on Aerith’s.

“He’s alive!” Their Cetra friend insisted.

“How?!” Cloud argued. “Surely, for once, you’re mistaken about this whole life and death thing!” They were loudly arguing and the ‘guy’ did not stir once. Cloud flustered to see her get on her knees to put all of her shoulder strength to lift the lid up and off of the coffin. When the lid hit the floor, it made a very loud noise and broke into two. Cloud couldn’t help but stumble back just a bit, but his eyes remained locked on Aerith now over the man in the box.

“Oop!” Aerith piped and fell on her rear. Even positioned backward, she could see how the ‘guy’ flinched and took in breath. His eyes then fluttered open with a crimson gleam that then dimmed to a magical glow of an earthy red. She got up from her rear to at least her knees and balanced herself on the edge of the coffin. Her hands that were calloused from travel still waved with the energy of a non-weary person. “Hi!”

The man looked toward the voice and flinched. He could only scoot back a little within the box that seemed to have been made especially for him.

“Ifalna--” His deep voice was a shocked whisper, but it could still be heard in the quiet of the room.

“Ah-” That had caught Aerith by surprise. She leaned back some but… his eyes… Something happened to him. “Um, what’s  _ your _ name sir?”

“My name…” He spoke words like it had been a long time. His bare right hand that was tight over his chest loosened some. He blinked his eyes in a way that was evident his vision was skewed some, out of focus like anyone first waking up for the day. He was distracted to hear Barret step into the room, and the vision clearing in his eyes focused on the gun on his arm. “Oh.” He caught himself before answering. “I am…” He covered his mouth with his claw hand to yawn before he finished speaking. “Vincent Valentine.”

“—Vincent Valentine??” Barret could not help it but come into the room completely now. “What? I hadn’t heard that name in so long and I read he died! I mean, some say he disappeared after gunslingin’ in the world reached its peak but—Y’know what? I can believe it! I’ve seen a whole lotta Shinra madness after all!”

“Barret, slow down…” Cloud was coming-to for himself. He had a nervous feeling roll down his neck to the tip of his fingers, but he tried to play it cool. This cursed and  _ awful _ mansion was hiding a man in a box, as well as so much more. How did he stay in the box, though? How  _ long _ in the box? It sounded like he was missing for a long time, and the man sounded so lost to time… “Vincent, who is Ifalna…?”

The man paused, but Aerith did not.

“That’s my mother… He knows my mom…” The curious and excited energy was sucked out of the room with Aerith’s answer. She wasn’t resentful, but it did give a cold feeling in her stomach. Although the room was crowded, the silence Cloud and Barret gave her and Vincent felt like plenty of respectful space given. “You know her… but I don’t know you…”

“You…” He thoughtfully murmured. He then became distracted by his own arm, or what felt like a lack of one. Lifting up the gold claw once again, there was weight he felt higher up at the insertion point, but otherwise… It was unfamiliar to him. He moved his metal index finger, as well as the other digits. What... was going on? He looked up and around. Two very unfamiliar people, and one who was also, but by the proxy of being Ifalna’s daughter… The room was not familiar either. This was a grown woman ahead of him and—rumors had it that he may be dead.

“Mr. Valentine,” Aerith tried verbally reaching out to him, but then she couldn’t help but gently take his right hand in-between hers. He flinched, but he did not snatch his hand from her.

“How old are you…?” Vincent asked.

“Huh? I’m gonna be 23 pretty soon…”

“Then… it has been about 23 years…”

“Huh?! Y’mean y’been in a box for 23 years?” Barret couldn’t help his confused outburst. He came back to reality when he saw Cloud examine the lid of the coffin. The Ex-SOLDIER put the split pieces together  _ a little, _ but not completely, in case it was some sort of hex. “What ya up to, Cloud?”

“The box has a symbol on it, maybe that’s what kept him under for two decades? An omega symbol familiar to you, Vincent?”

“…” The awakened man silently turned his head to the blond man. He looked him square in the eyes, red met green, full pupils met strangely thinner ones that held a blue color at the center. What were those eyes? Were they… dyed with Mako? Those pupils looked neither human nor beast, but familiar to him regardless… how peculiar. The omega symbol was also an interesting note. “Yes,” was all he began with. He looked to the floor to examine it. “I was sealed with that symbol…” And it sounded like although now he knew he was sealed; he wasn’t sure about the overall how.

Hearing that, Aerith asked, “So…it wasn’t Shinra?” As far as the woman knew, Shinra was ignorant of magic, and the controlling nature of the company was obsessive to  _ know _ about magic. How would someone at Shinra know how to put a magic rite and not a scientific one on Vincent? She scooted closer to look at his eyes, just as he had looked into Cloud’s. He had magic, so much magic hugged at the center of his full pupils. They felt so nostalgic for eyes she had never seen before. Perhaps she could feel without words that he and her were somewhat the same to whatever that extent was instead? As ‘specimens’? Magic beings maybe? His words removed her from her focused trance.

“No, it was Shinra…” Vincent was quick to say it; cold, harsh, and quiet. It was all Shinra. He lifted the unfamiliar golden limb into view. “This is not natural to me…” He felt nothing, and although he could will the fingers to move… It was so strange. What was also strange was that he could not remember the last thing that happened to seal him here.

“Hojo?” Cloud gave another shot in the dark. The cloaked man responded with a small scoff and a squint of anger at hearing that name; confirmation for Cloud that he spoke aloud. “Yeah, Shinra.” 

Cloud felt no doubt nor lie from this strange man named Vincent. He might be a wealth of knowledge that Hojo thought would never actually be unearthed. A cocky deduction like that would cause the seedy little man to leave a scavenger hunt behind, even if decades old… Cloud really wanted to learn about Ifalna, but it didn’t feel like it was his place to ask, maybe to even know unless it came from Aerith herself. This all felt so familiar to him, though, like maybe he has been—no. Cloud shook his head and took a step back. He needed to take that step back physically, emotionally, and mentally.

“Hojo’s crossed all of us,” Aerith urged, and squeezed Vincent’s hand reassuringly. “M-my mother’s no more. She died when I was seven years old… A woman named Elmyra took care of me, and I took the name Gainsborough from her as well. I met Cloud—this year! And he, Barret, and a lot of our friends saved me from the Shinra building when they got a hold of me again.”

Barret nodded along to Aerith’s words.

“Yeah! I got a lot of bones to pick with Shinra! It was cause o’them my whole town over at Corel was burnt down, and I lost my friends over at Midgar to those chumps.”

“Yeah,” Aerith partnered with Barret to tell their story. “We also met a cute pupper named Nanaki! We’ve rescued him from Hojo’s labs too. He’s from Cosmos Canyon!”

“So…” Vincent began. “You’re all on a mission against Hojo? Or all of Shinra?” Hearing ‘Cosmos Canyon’ intrigued him. He had history with that place and perhaps could learn something about what Professor Gast has been up to in the last few years. That was somewhere the man wanted to  _ be _ but Vincent could not follow him there when the professor went rogue.

“Both.” Cloud cooly said. “Another too, we’re going after Sephiroth.” Cloud lost that cool delivery when Vincent whipped his head at the name. The man’s red eyes were as wide as his own, his mouth hanging open but did not utter words. It was Cloud’s turn to analyze what  _ that _ reaction meant. 23 years… Did this man know Sephiroth? But Sephiroth must’ve been a child. “Whoa.” He couldn’t help but let his persona slip. He never thought about Sephiroth as a child… His face twisted into thoughtful confusion, and his arms tangled into a crossed knot.

Barret closed the door behind him to join the conversation properly and prevent any sneak attacks. He had to see this awakened man up close— and his eyes were red,  _ not _ amber… He had just seen the picture of this mystery man up close at the Shinra museum not too long ago! Then again… he glanced at Cloud before he looked back to Vincent. Good thing he did, because Cloud was being awkward as always.

“Sephiroth doesn’t seem to have ties with Shinra anymore, though,” Barret added. “’Bout five years ago, from what Cloud tells us.”

“I can spit the story again, just not here,” Cloud said as he uncrossed his arms to put a hand on the hilt of his buster sword. “This place is crawlin’ with monsters, y’got a weapon on you?”

A good question… Although Vincent was distracted by Sephiroth cutting ties with Shinra five years ago, and it being a total of twenty-three years he was absent… He sat up some to feel around the inside of the box and then against himself. He had some fear about finding other body parts missing, or something sticking out on him… but all he could feel were some thick scars under his clothes…fortunate.

“I don’t.” Still, something of his way missing, but still felt very nearby.

“Oh!” Aerith began, looking to Barret with a twinkle in her naturally green eyes. “The cute lil’ gun we kept, Barret!”

“Oh yeah, the Peacemaker! We got it back at the inn,” Barret said with a satisfied smile on his face. “We can find out if it’s authentic or not. But then, a gun’s a gun in the case of none.”

Vincent blinked in surprise to hear about the Peacemaker. That gun was a gift he made for a colleague… yet they had it? Where could they have gotten it from? Only more things for him to find out. He sat up; his body didn’t feel sore, impressively enough. He truly was sealed as he was 23 years ago. He motioned to get up, and did not object to Barret’s big hand helping steady him on his way out of the coffin. As he stepped out the box entirely, he could hear Aerith behind him say, “Oooh.”

His hair was very long, and it would’ve nearly touched the floor if it wasn’t hanging out of his fancy resting boxt.

“Huh,” Cloud sounded amused at the sight. He didn’t think he’d ever come across someone with hair longer than Tifa’s, even though Aerith was pretty close. He jokingly held the sharp side of his broadsword up. “Wanna take a car or two off that train?”

Vincent scoffed and flipped the impressive length of his hair with his golden claw. This was once his dominant hand… He could feel the weight of his hair, but not much else with this claw. Of course his hair would grow under the seal… It was necessary to his power, but it didn’t need to be  _ this _ long.

“I got it,” Vincent said as he traced the length with his hand still bound by flesh. His hair was thick, silky, and looked straight out of a classic fairy tale if you ignored the curling tangles. His claw might be sharp enough to cut through it like trimming thread… He reached up until it was a little past his shoulders and gave it a chance. The front tip of the claw was indeed sharp, it tore through hair like a box cutter perfectly on track. He tightly held onto the abandoned hair and looked it over. …Just staring at the cut length had told him,  _ ground him _ he has been down for a long, long time. Without warning, his discarded hair had very suddenly gone up in flames.

“Uh??” Cloud took a step back out of defensive reflex. He was the only one with trained grace, for Aerith fell onto her butt again and Barret stumbled some but managed to stay upright.

“Y’did that without Materia??” Barret paid attention to when Vincent checked for a gun or other weapon; he had none. “Just like Aerith!” The leader of the party concluded in awe. This event just kept getting better and better… He’s been pretty lucky with the recruits, and to have the legendary gunsmith in their ranks would make them even more secure in their stint to save the planet. If this man was in a box... then  _ surely _ Shinra wanted to stop or silence him in some way. Wait—But they wanted the Cetra for the promise land… So is he not like Aerith?

“Not exactly…” Vincent murmured. He was sure to make the ashes fall inside the coffin for the time being. He would return for this to release into the wind later. Vincent paused to see if Aerith would fill in but… The way she was looking at him with wide and beautiful eyes as naturally green as the planet’s blood itself… she may not know. Ifalna may have not gotten the chance to teach her… Perhaps he would have to show her what he knew. “I am not Cetra… However, we’ve been around in partnership with them since the beginning.” He glanced once more and confirmed that Aerith truly did not know…. Tragic, but perhaps intended. His people were quite hidden, and unlike the Cetra, managed to survive for it.

_ He _ was the foolish one to leave home and try to make nice with the non-Cetra nor Wiccans.

“Then what are you?” Cloud asked on the more rude end of the spectrum.

“Quite the question?” Vincent answered with half a smile on his features.

“Hah, he sounds like Red.” Barret didn’t mind the answer, it wasn’t their business in the first place. One could only hope he would open up to them, or to Aerith at least. “Well, looks like you’ll do fine on the way out to your Peacekeeper! Let’s get goin’!” Barret was the first to leave. Cloud looked to Aerith or Vincent to go forward, but the two of them had paused, staring at each other.

“Aerith…” Vincent startedm before he turned to fully take in the sight of her. She looked like the spitting image of Ifalna, she was just lacking the serious personality on her face. Still, this woman before him had that similar loving aura radiating off of her soul…

“Mm?” She smiled and tilted her head in curiosity. Her curiosity would have to wait, though; Cloud was huffing and waving for her to head for the door. She shook her head before ‘complying’ and going on ahead. 

Next it was Vincent and Cloud who had a bit of a stare down. Vincent found Cloud’s attempt at being intimidating amusing, and it said quite a lot; he must’ve been her protector or something along those lines. The soldier looking lad must’ve thought him to be overstepping his boundaries…

Vincent had no plans of keeping Cloud comfortable, Aerith needed him. Still, he knew how to choose his battles and walked on ahead of Cloud to meet with Barret and Aerith. Cloud soon stepped out and closed the door behind them. Vincent froze and turned toward where the library would be. Outside of the room his casket was in, this tunnel had an echo of familiarity to the unearthed man. 

“There’s something...I feel something…” He murmured and walked toward that direction. Aerith said nothing… and it gave Vincent concern. They really needed to find a time together and break down what she knows, even on how she fought but… maybe now would be a time for both of them to fight. 

“What is it?” Cloud asked. He walked with pep in his step to keep up with Vincent’s quick footed walking, then cringed. “Ghh--” Cloud held his head from the sudden sharp pain that momentarily paralyzed both him, and then Vincent in curiosity. The soldier had major senses of his own that brought him pain? How strange. Vincent abandoned him, however, to go on ahead to see what was this cold and heavy feeling he felt ahead. He opened the door and froze at the sight of the person inside.

Sephiroth. 

Sephiroth as an adult man… The familiar, but unfamiliar, had a book in his hand. He put the book back on the shelf with care before he turned around to examine what was in front of him. 

“Sephi...roth…?” Vincent’s eyes scanned the man from head to toe. The uniquely silver hair was the same, and he was as tall as himself… His face--it reminded him of his own… and his eyes--that was different. Solidly green with no sheen of life in them, and the pupil more thinned than Cloud’s; it filled Vincent with nauseating dread he tried to bury.

“Mm?” The hum sounded...malicious, otherworldly. Vincent could read that the man in front of him did not recognize him, but neither was ready to attack him; he was passive. Vincent pulled his hair back behind him-- he had shorter hair 23 years ago; what Vincent was yet to be aware of was that his own eye color had changed. Still, the man ahead of him did not recognize him. It was giving Vincent… doubt of  **what** stood before him.

Unfortunately Vincent did not have the time to investigate this further. Cloud and the others stormed in behind him, Cloud shouting, “Sephiroth!!” as he flew past.

“Oh?” Sephiroth’s head remained tilted, but now his eyes saw beyond Vincent and looked onward to Cloud, fixated. “Are you on the way to the reunion?”

“What reunion?!” 

“Where beloved Jenova  **will** be. When we join together at the reunion, Jenova will be able to become the calamity of the skies once more…” 

_ Jenova… _ Vincent’s eyes squinted to hear that name again. Jenova… That name felt harrowingly important to him, but the frontal part of his head felt fogged and pressured. Too much was going on at once, Sephiroth speaking like automation, Cloud arguing at that very brick wall. Before Vincent could process it, a green orb was tossed into Cloud’s gut, knocking the man over. In reflex, Vincent moved forward to steady Cloud from falling over and hitting his head as Sephiroth flew away and out of the room. 

What was this green object Cloud was holding onto? It felt like... Condensed mako but faulty. 

“That damned Sephiroth…” Cloud growled behind gritted teeth. He managed to stand up on his own before he angrily turned around to the party. “He said he was heading past the mountain…!” 

“Yeah I heard ‘im. He goin’ over the mountain we were going to go through anyways.” Barret started. “No use in rushin-- And don’t go cuttin’ me off!” Barret raised his voice and Cloud paused in his hot rage for Sephiroth. “We gotta get Vincent acclimated, fill him in on what’s goin’ on and rest up. Tifa told us the mountain’s one of the toughest on Gaia, Cloud. We goin’ in the same direction sooner or later, don’t be any more foolish than ya gotta be.” 

Vincent observed how Cloud went from being very tense, to only a little soothed. Enough to not be stiffened with anger that would erupt like a volcano at anyone unwise enough to poke him. The ex-soldier pocketed the perfectly round materia and walked past everyone, even Aerith who seemed to be so precious to him. Vincent couldn’t help but stare at his tense back until Cloud leaned against the cold basement wall outside of the library. Once more, Aerith took his right hand, a look of concern on her round face.

“Sephiroth’s… Sephiroth’s a tough subject for him.”

“I’ve seen… It isn’t necessary for Cloud to explain to me if it strains him, I understand enough.” 

“If anything, we can fill you in--” Barret offered, but Vincent shook his head in rejection. “It ain’t personal, you can trust us on that. We don’t do that to each other here in Avalanche.” Barret nodded when Vincent nodded. Good, the new teammate took his word for it; he should fit right in. 

“Vincent,” Aerith began. She sounded shy and hesitant, but managed to find the courage to speak up to him. “What do  _ you _ know about Sephiroth? Cloud seems to be the closest but… he doesn’t remember much. Tifa only got a little of him... And I saw him shortly in the Shinra lab when I was little. ...He gave me crayons back then. He was a teenager… looking about 13 or 14… I don’t know how old he is…” The memory was fond enough to make her ramble, to be concerned for the presumed enemy, and at first, Vincent pursed his lips with great restraint at the question. Aerith shared her experiences… and those experiences sounded more like the Sephiroth he knew than what was so coincidentally in front of him moments ago. A kind boy who would give a smaller child crayons to preoccupy herself with when stuck in a lab. The lab that he worked so hard to keep his child out of… Of course he would be in one in his absence. 

“I have no proof… but I feel like he’s the reason why my mom was able to escape with me. That’s why I’m trying to understand the Sephiroth we see now… The Sephiroth who hurt Cloud and Tifa… ” Nibelheim… 

“Have you thought to ask her…?” Vincent’s voice softly shook, and had trailed off.

“Ah.” Aerith hadn’t thought about it until the implied question dawned upon her. “When she walked the planet she didn’t know but… I’ll be sure to ask her when it’s real quiet or around a good source of mako, Vincent.” 

“...Thank you, Aerith...” He had another question but… it felt like he was asking her too much as it was. He ushered himself to where the ghost of his unfamiliar son had stood and then shuddered. It didn’t feel like him… Although a lot could change in over 23 years, especially with labs involved… He did not feel  _ any _ trace that his child was here. He shuddered again, but this time with a hint of anger that was hard to spot. He looked nonchalant in the way he reached for the shelved book to withdraw it. It had no trace of being touched… “A phantom…” 

“A phantom?” Aerith said as she paced her way to where Vincent stood, also shuddering. “Oh… Now that you mention it… I’m shaking with a chill. Like at the train graveyard back in Midgar.” 

“I’m afraid I’m not familiar with that place,” Vincent answered as he looked at the cover of the book, identifying the log on it. ...The data was dated before Sephiroth was born, but within the year that he was. ...So this book may tell him of the things hidden from him by Lucrecia and Hojo. He looked at the spines of the other books. Log after log, theories, and encyclopedic terminology. In his day as the head of Administrative Assistants, he would know how to comb through the important ones as a librarian would. As it currently was, it would be impossible for him to read it all on his travels, reither find the time to stay here and comb through. He would have to choose wisely… 

“Y’plan on taking some of these?” Barret asked remaining where he stood. “Looks like we’ll have to make another trip. We came here without bags thinking it’d be a quick trip without the monsters.” 

Vincent was preoccupied with the term ‘monster’ again. It was another thing Vincent wondered about. He’d heard it before, but in misunderstanding. Humans called creatures of old ‘monsters’ when it was better suited to call them primordials. He vaguely recalled mutations outside of the constructing Midgar and  _ those _ were monsters… The logs before him may tell him something Shinra tried to haphazardly understand, worse of all; try to replicate.

Listening was never enough for Shinra.   
  
Vincent knew that all too well. He had spent years with the growing corporation, talked himself to total silence before he too, became an observer stuck in tar. Unknowingly sinking until he disappeared into the bottom without any of his family. 

“Y’wanna take more than two? You can, there’s plenty of arms here,” Barret spoke and woke Vincent out of his thoughts. As a man who was around plenty of folks by his own chagrin, especially of the ‘misfit’ types, Barret had a curated patience for brooders. 

“Uh-” Vincent took a stunned moment to think about it before he shook his head in rejection of the offer. “No, what I have should suffice, thank you.” A second trip was still on his mind, but he did not want to hold up the party on whims he could come back to in the late evening. He held two thick books tightly against his chest and followed Barret and Aerith out. Other than bats that flew overhead, there was no threat or interruption to the outdoors. 

Vincent had a moment of pause when he heard the heavy doors being shoved opened by Cloud. He had been behind the party some, enough that he saw the sunlight more on the mansion’s floors than in his eyes yet. For Vincent, it felt like there was a heavy overcast literally on his shoulders that wanted to drag him back into the mansion’s basement. Sunlight… breeze… It both felt like merely yesterday and forever passed. He watched as Barret stood under the open door frame and saw Aerith appear in his vision and approach him without hesitation. His arms were too preoccupied for a dainty hand to grab, so instead those very hands escalated him forward to the outdoors like he was on an impromptu conveyor belt.

“Hh-” The sunlight burned his weary eyes. He did more than squint, he screwed them shut and curled inward some. 

“Aw damn--that’s right,” Barret thought aloud and pulled off his sunglasses. “Nibelheim’s buildin’s are so small the sun reaches just about everywhere. Here, if you don’t mind, that is.” He offered his sunglasses to Vincent to take. The man was… dumbfounded at the offer. The suddenness of it, and the sheer amount of kindness it presented; that too, felt like forever ago. Complete strangers helping him as if he was always known to them… He thought such a thing to be a myth… 

“I...don’t.” Vincent managed to say, and despite Aerith’s drastic height difference, she was the one to slide them onto his face. It tangled within some strands of his dark wild locks, but that only served to secure the squared frames more. He blinked several times before the outside world came to make sense to him. He at first saw Cloud’s back turned from him, arms crossed, but a twist of his head to the right he saw Barret proudly grinning and Aerith bouncing with uncontained excitement. 

Nibelheim… 

Nibelheim looked the same...  But the air was fogged with noxious black clouds of  _ audible  _ unrest.

**Author's Note:**

> This is still very much in the Final Fantasy VII world, and events of the PSX game will still occur but now in a new way. I will be covering all of the compilation under this title, but here we will be tailing behind Vincent who is a witch in this story! Soon you will see this story be apart of a "Series" where drabbles exist to supplement things not involving Vincent, but most of the time Sephiroth or the turks. A lot have been half written, examples such as one detailing on how Sephiroth met Aerith, and another about Sephiroth's bond with Rufus. I am also open to requests that would fit as a drabble rather than part of the main fic, for character interactions people like and would like to see more of.
> 
> The tags may be a little confusing but, although it doesn't show now, it is relevant as the story goes on (Such as Vincent/Cloud, Rude/Tifa etc). The story begins as Clerith, and transitions onto slow growing love via pining and being too busy saving the world.
> 
> Thank you for reading and see you soon with more stories to come.
> 
> You can also find me on twitter @LuckyGhost0


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